'There was a plan to assassinate me, knew beforehand,' says ex-Pak PM Imran Khan

Angry supporters of Imran Khan took to the streets across Pakistan after Friday prayers to protest against the assassination bid on the ousted prime minister who, in a dramatic address to the nation from a hospital, vowed to resume his march to Islamabad demanding fresh general elections.

While Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party insisted that Thursday's attack was a "prelude to a well-thought-out conspiracy" to assassinate their leader, the federal government has asked the PTI-led Punjab provincial government to constitute a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) for a thorough probe to bring facts to light.

Former Pakistan premier Imran Khan on Friday claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer were part of the sinister plot to assassinate him in the same way former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by a religious extremist. 

Addressing the nation from the Shaukat Khanum Hospital here, in his first address since the assassination attempt, Khan said he had made a video of four other individuals who were part of the larger conspiracy to kill him.

"Four people plotted to kill me. I made a video and named those people and have stashed it abroad," he said, adding that it would be released in case something untoward happens to him.

The cricketer-turned-politician said he received information about this sinister plot from "insiders".

"How did I find out? Insiders told me. The day before Wazirabad, they made the plan to kill me as they saw the number of people increasing using the script of religious extremism," he asserted.

Khan, the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said that "handlers" had planned to get him murdered in the same way former Punjab governor Taseer was killed.

Firstly, they accused me of blasphemy they made tapes and released them and PMLN projected them, I knew who was doing it.
 

PTI is the only party that has done legal fund-raising in Pakistan, says Imran Khan in his first media address after the assassination attempt on him on Thursday.

In his first address after the assassination attempt, ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan said, "Four people plotted to kill me behind closed doors. I have a video with me, if something happens to me, the video will be released."

On his government's ouster through a motion of no-confidence, Khan said the government could have never lost the no-trust motion but alleged that the coalition "used the money to become successful."

"People voted for me because they were fed up with them (previous governments) but the establishment decides that the time has now come to change and brings them back," Khan said.

"I was hit by 4 bullets," Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan in his first address from hospital after suffering bullet injuries

Dr. Faisal Sultan, who is treating the cricketer-turned-politician, said x-rays of Khan's right leg showed that his tibia was damaged and in fact fractured. 

"In this scan, the line you see on the right leg is the main artery. The bullet fragments were very near it," Sultan said. 

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan will address the nation shortly.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his first address from hospital after suffering bullet injuries, claimed that there was a plan to assassinate him and he had an idea about the looming danger beforehand,

"I know that there was a plan to kill me somewhere between Wazirabad and Gujrat," Khn said in an address from  Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore where he is receiving treatment for his injuries.
 

A senior leader from Imran Khan's party on Friday said the assassination attempt on the former premier was "a prelude to a well-thought-out conspiracy" and alleged that three officials from Pakistan's federal government and the military establishment were the "masterminds" of the attack.

Fawad Chaudhry, a former minister and a senior member of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), said in a series of tweets that the attack "a prelude to a well-thought-out conspiracy".

"The masterminds of the attack being the three main suspects, Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer, and without removing them from their posts. It is not possible to proceed with the investigation," he said in a tweet.

Chaudhry added that the party was not satisfied with the performance of the police chief of the Punjab province and demanded his immediate replacement.

Police in Pakistan's Punjab province have arrested two more suspects, who they believe had sold the pistol and bullets for PKR 20,000 to Naveed Mohammad Basheer, the assailant who tried to assassinate former premier Imran Khan during a political rally, according to a media report on Friday.

The assassination attempt on former Pakistan premier Imran Khan and the political uncertainty in the country spooked investors on Friday, with the Karachi Stock Exchange down by over 300 points and the local currency losing considerable ground to the US dollar. 

The benchmark KSE-100 index opened in the red on Friday, with the benchmark index dropping after trading began and by mid-day it had lost 306.45 points, or 0.73 percent, to reach 41,784.26 points.

The Pakistan rupee lost ground to the US dollar on Friday, as the greenback was trading at 227.75 in the open market.

"We just met PM Imran Khan. AH he is recovering and in high spirits. He has passed instructions which will be followed fully InshAllah," Pakistan Muslim League (Q) leader Moonis Elahi.

PTI Leader Ejaz Chaudhary, in a tweet, stated that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will preside over an important senior leadership meeting at Shaukat Khanum Hospital this afternoon.

Imran Khan will address the nation at 4.30 pm (IST), the official Twitter handle Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI's) Peshawar said.

According to Associated Press, a senior leader from Imran Khan's PTI party said that Pakistan's former Prime Minister is in stable condition after being shot and wounded during a protest march.

"We are convinced that it was a well-planned assassination attempt on Pakistan's most popular leader Imran Khan, who is now in stable condition at the Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore after undergoing surgery there," Fawad Chaudhry told AP.

Imran Khan's PTI party workers staged a protest in the Gholnai Bazar area of Mohmand district against the assassination attack on the former Pakistan Prime Minister. "Mohmand Tribal District: PTI Mohmand protest against the assassination attack on Imran Khan in Gholnai Bazar. MNA Sajid Khan Mohmand, Nazim Ali Malik Naveed Ahmed, senior leadership and workers participated in large numbers," PTI tweeted from its official Twitter account.

Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has now called for a nationwide strike on Friday over the assassination attempt on the former Prime Minister. "Tehreek-e-Insaf has called for a nationwide strike after Friday prayers, every Pakistani should participate in this protest," former Pak Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in his tweet.

Famous Pakistani pacer Waqar Younis has wished his former Pakistani captain and ex-PM Imran Khan a speedy recovery in a message via Twitter. 

After Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister, Imran Khan, survived an assassination attempt with a gun firing on his convoy during a march in the eastern city of Wazirabad, his supporters have now flooded the streets, governmental offices in Islamabad, including the Core Commander House Peshawar, expressing outrage and angst. In the visuals shared by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), pro-Imran Khan demonstrators can be seen protesting in front of the Corps Commander House in Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expressing anger at the attack plotted against the former premier of Pakistan.

Pakistan's government has set up a committee to negotiate with Khan over the shooting incident. Pakistan affairs expert Shiraz Paracha has told Qatar-based outlet Al Jazeera that the PTI leader "has yet to agree to talks." “The first step now is a dialogue between the government and the opposition – which is Imran Khan,” Paracha said. “That’s the only way forward.” Khan and his associates had not taken any security measures at the march and many were carrying the gun, he told the outlet. “Such incident is unfortunate, but was not unexpected,” he noted. 

A tweet from Insaf Students Federation quoting Imran Khan says that PTI’s long march will continue in Islamabad  tomorrow (Friday) at 11 am.

Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has weighed in on the assassination attempt on Imran Khan. Violence should never be acceptable, she said.  “Attacks on leaders of any political belief or party are always wrong. And violence is never an acceptable protest,” she wrote on Twitter. “Wishing Imran Khan a full recovery.” Yousafzai was shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt for activism in 2012. 

List of those injured and dead in the firing incident in Pakistan's Punjab, which was an assassination attempt on former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, has been released. 

A huge number of protestors have gathered on the streets to protest against the attack carried out on former Pakistani PM Imran Khan. Taking to Twitter, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf shared pictures showing protestors gathering in huge numbers in multiple locations. 

"Imran Khan told us to issue this statement on his behalf. He believes there are 3 people on whose behest this was done- Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal. He said he was receiving information and is saying this on that basis",  PTI members Asad Umar and Mian Aslam Iqbal said in a video message. 

The Pakistan Army has also issued a statement condemning the firing attack on Imran Khan. “Firing incident during Long March near Gujranwala is highly condemnable," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military, said.  "Sincere prayers for precious life lost and speedy recovery and well being of Chairman PTI Mr Imran Khan and all those injured in this unfortunate incident,” it said.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the assassination attempt on ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, and tweeted, "The attack on Imran Khan and his supporters is completely unacceptable, and I strongly condemn this violence. It has no place in politics, in any democracy, or in our society. I’m wishing a speedy recovery to Imran and all who were injured today."

Protests against the assassination attempt on Imran Khan are intensifying as his supporters have now stepped out on the streets in huge numbers.

"A large number of people came out on the streets in Tamargarh Dir Lower against the murderous attack on Chairman Imran Khan, the protests continued", a tweet by PTI read. 

Supports of Imran Khan have staged a protest outside the residence of Rana Sanaullah, Pakistan's Interior Minister after the former Pakistan PM was injured in a shootout.

After Imran Khan's attacker made a confession of his crime, PTI leader Dr. Shahbaz Gill tweeted, "Some people took the confessional statement of the accused and immediately conveyed it to the special media. The statement is being played on some channels even on PTV. Did you understand something? There is an attempt to give it an observational colour. This is a straight-up murderous attack. And we will avenge him."

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reacted to the assassination attempt on Imran Khan, and said, "I condemn the firing on Imran Khan and his associates and pray for the recovery of the injured."

'Got a new life,' says Imran Khan in first response after injury in assassination bid

Imran Khan's attacker, who is now arrested, has confessed his crime to the police, claiming that he shot Imran as the latter is misleading Pakistan. 

He said, "Imran Khan was misleading people. Just wanted to shoot Imran. I committed this crime alone. Nobody else is involved."

"Our honour does not allow us to be silent now, the time has come to observe the oath, zealous and patriotic Pakistanis of Rawalpindi. Reach Allama Iqbal Park!," says Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi. 

Pakistan President Arif Alvi tweeted, "I thank Allah for my survival in the murderous attack of Bahadur Imran Khan. He is injured with a few bullets in his leg and is expected to be in a non-critical condition. This attack is sad, alarming, deceitful and cowardly. May Allah bless them and all the injured." 

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif puts out his first tweet on the assassination attempt on ex-PM Imran Khan, and said, "I strongly condemn the firing at Imran Khan's rally. An immediate report of the incident has been sought from the Interior Minister. We pray for the speedy recovery of Imran and other injured. The Federation will provide all possible support to the Punjab government in the security/investigation of the incident. Violence should have no place in national politics."

Former Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid reacted to the assassination attempt on former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said, "They have conspired to assassinate Imran Khan. They are criminal-minded." 

As of now, one person has died and eight are severely injured in the assassination attempt on former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, including the ex-PM himself. 

The shooter has been identified as Muhammad Naveed from Wazirabad. One 9mm pistol and two empty magazines have been recovered from the shooter. He is MNA Alamgir Khan's guard. 

Around a dozen shots were fired at former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his associates. 

Pak PM Shehbaz Shareef directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek report from IG Punjab on firing incident during Haqeeqi Azaadi March of Imran Khan. 

"It's a development that just took place. We're closely keeping an eye & we'll continue to monitor ongoing developments. Don't have anything beyond that to say as it's just a developing story," said MEA Spox Arindam Bagchi on firing on Imran Khan's rally in Pak wherein he too is injured.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has postponed his press conference to be held today regarding his visit to China due to the firing incident in Gujranula.

 Mehbooba Mufti reacted to assassination attempt on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, and tweeted: 

Imran Khan took bullets on both legs, Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid confirms, adds Khan is out of danger

After an assassination attempt on former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry addressed the people gathered at the location where the firing took place. 

In the latest update, Imran Khan shifted to his own hospital- Shaukat Khanum; 4 member medical board constituted for ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the firing on Imran Khan's container, leaving the ex-PM and several others injured. 

At least one killed during firing at former PM Imran Khan's container, says Faisal Javed Khan who himself is Injured. 

Image shows Imran Khan's right leg bandaged after a man opened fire at him in Gujranwala. 

Former Pakistan Minister Faisal Javed Khan informs that he is injured in an assassination attempt on Imran Khan. 

 Republic Media Network has accessed the shooter's image caught on camera. 

Alleged shooter at Imran Khan's rally caught by the public; former Pakistan PM injured and taken away. 

Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan was reportedly injured as shots were fired near his long march container. As per reports, he received gunshots in his leg. 

A firing has taken place near a container of PTI Chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, leaving several injured, including former minister Faesal Javed. 

Imran Khan has been moved from the container to a safer place. He was taken down from the container on a stretcher.